Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), the national public broadcaster of South Korea, has opened a resident office in Vietnam in an effort to tap reinforced ties between the two countries.

Le Thi Thu Hang from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs hands over a license to Head of KBS's Hanoi-based office Song Gumham on February 1. Photo: Baoquocte

The license given by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Hanoi-based office’s Head Song Gumham will enable KBS to cover more news on Vietnam to make it closer to South Koreans, largely contributing to the enhancement of the bilateral relations.
Founded in 1927 with operations in radio, television, and online services, KBS is one of the biggest South Korean television networks and has resident offices in 14 countries.

KBS cooperated with the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) since 1995 and the Vietnam Television (VTV) since 2008 to air Korean-subtitled Vietnamese telecasts. KBS has also partnered with Vietnamese entertainment companies to bring Korean gameshows and programs to Vietnam.

KBS World has a Vietnamese version.

Pro-Korean sentiment in Vietnam

So far, the growing Vietnam-South Korea ties have lifted relations in different sectors regardless of investment and trade. Following the rising South Korean investment inflows, Vietnamese people have gradually become fond of Korean culture and get familiarized to products from the East Asian country.

The pro-Korean sentiment in Vietnam gets stronger with more people prefer South Korean products, including food, cosmetics, and clothes. Vietnamese youths have quickly copied Korean fashion and makeup styles while a large number of young people like K-pop.

K-pop becomes more popular in Vietnam. Illustrative photo

Figures speak

The bilateral relationship was set up in 1992. Vietnam is considered one of the most important partners in South Korea’s “Look South” policy.

Currently, more than 160,000 South Koreans are living in Vietnam and roughly 180,000 Vietnamese people in South Korea. In addition, more Vietnamese students are going to study in South Korea and vice versa, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korean Nguyen Vu Tu.

Meanwhile, the number of South Korean visitors to Vietnam has been on the rise over the years, reaching 3.2 million in January-November, 2018, a surge of 46.5% on year. The number of Vietnamese visitors rose 40% on year to more than 427,000 in the same period.

The two-way trade is estimated to hit US$100 billion in 2020. In 2018, Vietnam exported US$18.2 billion worth of goods and services to South Korea and imported some US$40.3 billion from the country.